Can you imagine going to a cool, green and safe school? Well some of the students in Japan are sure lucky being able to attend Mode-Gakuen, a private educational institution which has several vocational schools in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Paris as well. The schools were established to cultivate creators in various fields such as Fashion Design, Fashion Technique, Fashion Business, Interior Design, Graphic Art, Make-Up Technique and Hair Dressing. The institution attracts approximately 5,500 students including 200 foreign students from Asia every year.

…continue reading the post Architectures: Mode-Gakuen Spiral Towers

This massive skyscraper Torre Agbar (Agbar Tower) was inaugurated officially in September 2005 in Barcelona by the King of Spain, Juan Carlos. The Agbar Tower was designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel. According to Nouvel, the shape of the Torre Agbar was inspired by the mountains of Montserrat that surround Barcelona and by the shape of a geyser of water rising into the air. The building is the new headquarter for the Agbar Group in which the company are dedicated to services, distribution and treatment of water. It’s the third tallest building in Barcelona, only after the Arts Hotel and the Mapfre Tower. The facade of this building is covered by over 4,500 glass windows. The glass windows have an integrated temperature sensors which open and close depending on the temperature, reducing the consumption of energy for air conditioning. Inside the facade the walls are covered with multi-colored facade of aluminum panels in 25 different colors. At night, the Agbar tower give a unique feature with its nocturnal illumination. Over 4,500 led luminous devices allow this fascinating building to form luminous images in the facade.

“This is not a tower. It is not a skyscraper in the American sense of the expression: it is a unique growth in the middle of this rather calm city. But it is not the slender, nervous verticality of the spires and bell towers that often punctuate horizontal cities. Instead, it is a fluid mass that has perforated the ground – a geyser under a permanent calculated pressure.

The surface of this construction evokes the water: smooth and continuous, but also vibrating and transparent because it manifests itself in coloured depths - uncertain, luminous and nuanced. This architecture comes from the earth but does not have the weight of stone. It could even be the faraway echo of old formal Catalan obsessions, carried by a mysterious wind from the coast of Montserrat.

The uncertainties of matter and light make the campanile of Agbar vibrate in the skyline of Barcelona: a faraway mirage day and night; a precise marker to the entry of the new diagonale that starts at Plaça de las Glorias. This singular object becomes a new symbol for an international city.” - Jean Nouvel

…continue reading the post Torre Agbar: The 21st Century Skyscraper

Today, we will visit a massive Roman Catholic church of which the construction began 126 years ago and is still in progress to this day. A church unfinished for that long…just unbelievable! The church is named the Sagrada Familia (Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family) and it’s located in Barcelona, Spain. The construction of the church started in 1882 and originally designed by Antoni Gaudi a Spanish Catalan architect. The building works are expected to be completed around 2026 which will be the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death. The reason why it’s taking so long to complete this project is because the project is not supported by the government and official church sources. Funding of the project mainly come from private donations and the ticket sales from the tourists.

The Sagrada Familia’s towers are rich in Christianity symbolism. The decoration include works from the liturgy. There are a total of 18 tall towers; the Twelve Apostles, the four Evangelists, the Virgin Mary and of course the tallest of it all is Jesus Christ. These towers are decorated with biblical words such as “Hosanna”,”Excelsis”, and “Sanctus”; the grand doors are engraved with words from the bible in various languages; and there will be a Glory facade to be decorated with the Apostles’ Creed. There is plan to design the sanctuary areas with concepts of saints, virtues and sins, and secular such regions with matching decorations.

If I ever get a chance to visit Spain, this will be the first place that I want to see. The Eiffel tower in Paris is nothing special compare to this historical temple.

…continue reading the post Sagrada Familia: Temple of the Holy Family

If you ever get a chance to visit Santo Domingo in Columbia you must visit their famous library park, Parque Biblioteca Espana. Constructed in 2007 by Giancarlo Mazzanti, these rock-like buildings are a true piece of art. These buildings serve as an iconic symbol for the city and enhance urban development and public activities in the area. This so call hulking opal structure houses a library, an auditorium, computer rooms, a day care center and an art gallery. The buildings also serve as a public plaza and lookout towards the city. The facade of the building is made of slabs of black slate with 30% oxide. The main goal for the construction project was to create an educational environments and at the same time emphasizes on the uniqueness and creativeness of architectural design.

I think I’m in love with these buildings! By the way, if you want to know how to get there. It’s high up on the hillside and the only way to get there is by the city’s metro system, the cable car line. It could be a fascinating place to visit!

…continue reading the post Santo Domingo: Parque Biblioteca Espana

Hello lady and gentlemen today I will be your guide for the visit to Elbe tunnel in Hamburg, Germany. Please leave your cellphone at home because you won’t be needing it. First I need to explain to you that there exist two Elbe tunnels and both are located in Hamburg. The first one is the Alter Elbtunnel (Old Elbe tunnel) which is officially under the name of St. Pauli Elbe tunnel. It was opened in 1911 and it connects St. Pauli to St. EinwErDEr (excuse me for my bad pronunciation). The second one is the Neuer Elbtunnel (New Elbe tunnel) and it was opened in 1975. We will being visiting the Old Elbe tunnel.

The St. Pauli Elbe tunnel is a pedestrian and vehicle tunnel measuring 426 meters long. Each side of the tunnel have four huge lifts to carry pedestrians, carriages and motor vehicles. Although it’s in operation but with limited capacity by today’s standards, thus other advanced bridges and tunnels have taken over the majority of the traffic. With its attractive look, the old tunnel has turned into a tourist place. Its popularity has given it the opportunity to be featured in films such as The Odessa File and The American Friend. I have included two videos if you wish to experience the ride through the tunnel. You can either choose a slow ‘turtle ride’ or a fast ‘rabbit ride’. If desire, you can also experience both rides too. Have fun on your ride and I hope you’ve enjoyed the tour.

…continue reading the post Hamburg: St. Pauli Elbe Tunnel